As remediation of the troubled Bristol landfill begins, community advocates are petitioning for an alert system, increased air quality monitoring and relief measures for residents who experience strong airborne pollution at home.
Blog Archives
Clearing the Air on How Wood Pellet Factories Affect Their Neighbors and the Climate
The wood pellet industry is growing in the American South, but communities near wood pellet plants are seeing damages to air and water quality. As new facility proposals from wood pellet companies like Enviva continue, local residents and regional climate activists are speaking out.
EPA proposes moderate improvements for public health; must do more
The proposal is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t go nearly far enough. In Appalachia, our people are breathing fugitive mine dust and toxic emissions from numerous industries. Time and again, state regulatory practices have fallen short in curbing the impacts of these industries. Fugitive coal mine dust in particular has not been regulated in any meaningful way. EPA can and should do more to protect our health.
TAGS: Air Pollution EarthJustice NAAQS national ambient air quality standards particulate matter U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
As EPA Prepares to Update Federal Air Quality Limits, Coal Dust Looms Large in Eunice
Frustrated with constant coal dust, residents of Eunice, West Virginia, asked the state to install an air quality monitoring device in their community. The request was denied.
TAGS: Air Pollution air quality coal community coal dust Coal River Valley national ambient air quality standards particulate matter PM 2.5 West Virginia West Virginia Division of Air Quality West Virginia Division of Mining and Reclamation
The Beast of Bristol: The Landfill Haunting Residents of the Twin Cities
Terrible, persistent smells from the Bristol landfill have put a damper on quality of life for residents of the Twin Cities. Officials acknowledge the problem, but there’s no clear path forward.
TAGS: Air Pollution air quality Bristol community activism East Tennessee EPA grassroots Landfill landfill gas public health southwest virginia Tennessee trash Virginia Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Biden Administration Proposes Restoration of Mercury Pollution Rules
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed reinstating a legal finding that supports restrictions on the amount of mercury that may be discharged by power plants.
TAGS: Air Pollution Biden administration Coal coal-fired power plant Mercury and Air Toxics Standards mercury emissions public health Trump administration
Align RNG Settlement Spotlights Biogas Plant Regulation
After the first settlement of its kind in North Carolina capping limits on emissions from a biogas plant in Sampson County, environmental advocates hope the agreement sets the stage for stricter statewide regulation of the processing of animal waste from concentrated feeding operations into fuel or biogas.
Potential Federal Action Would Address Common and Harmful “Forever Chemicals”
Congress and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could soon take steps to protect communities from an incredibly common but little-known family of man-made chemicals that have been accumulating in waterways and in people’s blood for decades.
North Carolina Seeks Public Comment on Regional Haze Plan
As North Carolina develops its 10-year plan to reduce haze in national parks and wilderness areas, conservation and health groups allege that North Carolina and other Southeast states are missing key sources of emissions in their analysis.
TAGS: Air Pollution Clean Air Act Great Smoky Mountains National Park haze NC Division of Air Quality North Carolina Regional Haze Rule
Trump Administration Loosens Clean Air Regulations
In recent months, federal regulators have weakened two national air pollution standards and opted not to upgrade a third.
